1.Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a packaging container and, more particularly, to a packaging container which is arranged such that the lid of the container does not separate from the container body when the container is opened.
2. Description of the Background Art
In pharmacies or other places where dispensing is performed, it is common to store a great variety of drugs for dispensing in the same drawer or on the same shelf. Generally, the indicator label of a drug is attached to the trunk portion of the drug packaging container. However, in a case where a great variety of drugs are stored together in the same drawer or on the same shelf as described above, it is often difficult to confirm the names, contents, etc. of the drugs as stored in this way, and it is necessary to take them out one by one in order to make confirmation. Accordingly, if the top of the lid of the container for each drug is provided with an indication for identification of the drug, it is possible to remarkably improve the efficiency of the work of delivering drugs to a dispensary and also the efficiency of the dispensing work, which always require rapid performance. Moreover, it is extremely important to provide such an identification indication on the top of the lid of each drug container from the viewpoint of preventing erroneous dispensing. In fact, there have heretofore been strong user demands that such an indication should be provided on the top of the lid of each drug container.
However, many of packaging containers used for ordinary drugs have a structure in which the lid is fitted on the container body by thread engagement or the like; when the container is opened, the lid separates from the container body. Accordingly, when a plurality of drugs contained in such containers of the same opening diameter are used, there is a possibility that the lid of some container will be put on a wrong container after the drugs have been used. Accordingly, the risk of erroneous prescription accompanies the provision of an indication for drug identification on the top of the lid of a packaging container having the conventional structure, or the attachment of a drug name and content indicating label for the top indication to the conventional packaging container.
Incidentally, there is a packaging container designed so that, even when the container is opened, the lid thereof does not separate from the container body, for example, a packaging container with a hinged cap having a hinge structure which is generally known as "three-point hinge structure", as disclosed, for example, in Japanese Utility Model Application Unexamined Publication (KOKAI) No. 6-20261 (Japanese Utility Model Application No. 4-47436).
The above-described packaging container uses a hinged cap which is formed by joining together a cap body and a top lid by hinges. The cap body is secured to the top of the container body by using threads or the like, and a tubular portion of the top lid is fitted into an outlet opening provided in the top wall of the container body, thereby hermetically sealing the container.
However, the container having the above-described structure suffers from the problem that it is difficult to ensure the hermeticity when the outlet opening is enlarged, because the tubular portion of the top lid is fitted into and removed from the outlet opening by rotating the top lid about the hinged portion.
Accordingly, it is difficult to adopt the conventional container structure for drug packaging containers which are used to contain solid preparations such as powders, granules, tablets, capsules, etc. and required to have a large opening diameter in order to allow a desired amount of drug to be taken in and out of them, and which are demanded to ensure a high degree of hermeticity.